It Started With the Dance
by rainbowpanget
Summary: What has been happening since Holly's return? Why have there been odd cases popping up in succession? And why is Trouble Kelp pacing? Find out. R&R T/H


**It Started With the Dance**

by: malinkapinka14

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**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything but my ability to fly. Oh yeah, I can't fly.

Please review. I need reviews to fuel my fingerbrains. Yes, those little brain thingies at the tips of my fingers that force me to write.

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**The Big Question**

Trouble Kelp was pacing. Now, even to those who didn't know him, would think this odd, mainly because it was obvious he wasn't a "pacer".

Basically, he never paced.

This time, though, was different. It all started with that damn little dance. Not "little" per se, but actually the most important dance of the year; the Annual LEP Ball.

He had no date, and now he was pacing.

The thing is, the Commander had to have a date, as this dance was really big, even Artemis Fowl and company had been cleared to come for the dance, which sucked for Trouble, because he knew about as much as a pencil did when it came to women..

Yes, Major Trouble Kelp was promoted to Commander after Julius Root's untimely demise, and he happened to be promoted during the time Holly Short was gone, oddly enough.

So many things had happened after Holly's disappearance for 3 years. She had returned now, though. It has been almost a year since her return, and she had been promoted to Major after Trouble had made a personal appeal for her to rejoin the LEP.

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It was Christmas time already, the People's way of remembering San d'Klass, the generous gnome who had dropped by houses dropping of presents and a couple of ingots of gold to people he actually didn't know. 

Surprisingly, Foaly had hung up some mistletoe around the halls and the offices, a mud man tradition he got off watching his soap operas. In truth, he was trying to pair off his coworkers.

Giving up on pacing, Trouble went back to reviewing tons of different cases. 5, to be exact, but he had gotten the hang of it by now. 5 cases were actually only few cases compared to when it was a different holiday.

The last case was a minor incident involving a group of goblins smuggling sweartoads aboveground, but seeing as they were goblins, they were dumb enough to leave the toads in a shuttle causing the toads to go berserk inside, which wasn't that good for the shuttle, seeing as it was an abandoned rotting old core diver, used several thousand times. They were also dumb enough to leave the shuttle right at the lip off a chute, luckily the chute was dead off flares.

After reviewing the case, he beeped Foaly to send for Holly. Once she reached his office, eating an apple, she explained that it was a gift from Foaly. He confiscated it from an aboveground smuggler he spotted at one of his favorite carrot shops.

Before offering a bite to Trouble, she asked him is he cut off all communications in the office.

"Mmhmm, of course," Trouble muttered whilst reviewing the case.

Whenever she, Captain Ash Vein, Foaly were alone in the office talking, they pulled all bugs because this allowed them to remove the revolting titles they were required to use with each other's ranks.

Vein, Trouble, and Holly were schoolmates before, and were slightly uncomfortable with the titles. Foaly really didn't care for the titles, but people would talk if they heard him calling his commanding officer "Trubs".

People who were jealous of them, mainly, because Most of the LEP were used to Foaly doing this, especially since he used to call Commander Root "Julius".

Mainly it was Trouble who hated the titles most, but he would never admit to that.

She sat on the desk and tilted her head to a certain angle so that she could read the folder, at the same time reaching out the apple. Trouble bit the apple nonchalantly, and suddenly they heard a very familiar voice laughing--

And whinnying. That meant only one thing; Foaly. As the centaurs grinning face appeared on the gas screen, he said,

"You couldn't have expected me to not leave at least one bug, Commander!"

"Yes, I expected you to leave a bug, Yet I thought that you would understand Holly and I dropping our titles for the time being?" replied Trouble with an eyebrow raised.

"Its not that Trubs," Trouble cringed at the name, as Foaly continued to laugh his head off.

"So what, may I ask, is so funny?" Trouble asked, a bit irritated.

"You and Holly are acting like a married couple!", Foaly said between bouts of laughter.

Trouble sighed, and nodded to Holly. She turned on a magnetic device, fully cutting Foaly out.

"Seriously, he has a really low sense of maturity sometimes." Trouble said.

Holly sighed, used to the taunts she received on being so close with Trouble. They didn't mind, since they were comfortable with each other anyway.

In truth, Trouble did admit to himself that he liked Holly, but nothing more than admiration.

"So, Holly, could you do a little clean up work for me? Everyone else is either booked, or off for the holidays."

Holly nodded, glad for a break from all the festive bustle.

"Sure thing. Oh, and Trouble? Could you accompany me to the LEP Ball? Verbil's been flooding my emails and apartment voice line with proposals. It's quite titing. And you're the only decent elf I know who won't take advantage of me being their date."

Trouble smiled at the compliment.

"Of course! I was kind of looking for a date as well."

Holly grinned, glad to have a friend accompany her.

"So, pick you up at eight, then?"

"Sure thing!" Holly replied, and exited the office, making off for the Ops. Booth, where she would give Foaly one hell of a whacking.

Trouble went back to his own work, now looking forward to the Ball.

The little part of his subconscious that knew he felt something more for Holly was leaping for joy right now. This was an opportunity for fate to meddle in these two faiiries lives.

Fate had to have a say in this, after all.

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**TBC**

There. Done, but I know it sucked. Please review. Please oh please oh please? I need to know if I should add a plot with the sweartoads case, and which pairings you'd let clear since Artemis and the gang are coming down to the dance as well.


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